Parking wheel for automobiles



Feb. 7,l 1928.

J. MYERS PARKING WHEEL EoR AUTOMOBILES Filed Sept. 9. 1924 atto: Huth Patented Feb. 7, 1928.

UNITED STATES JOHN MYERS. OF OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

:PARKING WHEEL'FOR AUTOMOBILES,

Application mea september 9, 1924.` seriall No. 736,727.

This invention'relate's to automobiles and to a means for'movin the front end of the vehicle laterally for orizontal parking in conned spaces, or for turning the vehicle completely around. l

The objects of my invention are to provide an auxiliary device which may easily be secured to the forward end of any automobile and which may be thrown into operative relation with the ground whereby upon backing up the automobile slightly, the front wheels are lifted from the ground, and further the provision of a revolvable wheel or roller on the device contactin the ound arranged to take the weight o the ont end of the vehicle and with its plane of rotation disposed transversely to the vehicle whereby the front end of the vehicle ma be rolled laterally upon this wheel while the rear drive wheels revolve in op osite directions by reason of the differential, thus convertingthe automobile into a three wheel turntable, as it were, and a further object is to provide means for revolving the auxiliary transversely .disposed wheel, preferably by the driver of the vehicle from his position on the seat, whereby the front end of the vehicle may be swung in and out of horizontal parking position against a curb, or other short,vor -completeturns made in congested highway areas, for by -the arrangements contemplated the car may be revolved in its own length. v

In contemplating my invention as outlined, it will be manifest that many modifications in Aarrangement of apparatus and means of applyin power to the wheel for revolving it ma die advanced by any mechanic, tho in t e drawings hereto but one method of reduction to ractise is shown as suiiiciently illustrative, ut I do not wish to be confined s ecitically to this one constructionunles's orced to do so by the prior y dicating the Amovement of its front end in and out 0f a short parking space in which it ordinarily could knot be parked. l

Figure -2 is a sectional elevation of the forward 'under part of an .automobile showving the front axle and my auxiliary parklbracket as seen from a positionv under the ing wheel and bracket may be pulled up to the axle and with the wheel against the ground. Y

Figure 3 is an elevation of the wheel and automobile looking toward the front axle.

I'I"further detail, 1 is the front axle, 2 my 'parking wheel carried on a 'bracket 3 hinged at 4 to a clamp 5, 6 one of the wheels of the vehicle lifted from the ground 7 by my parking wheel standing in an upright, positionon its bracket under the front axle.

The bracket may be of any suitable construction, but is here shown as comprised of two plates 8 suitably anged at 9 to stiifen them and carrying the wheel 2 on an axle 3', and the wheel may revolve on the` axle or the axle in the plates, or both, and any type of bearing may be used, either plain or ball bearing, depending on the permissible cost of the article for a given automobile, or the weight of same, for it is manifest that plain bearings may be satisfactory on a light car whereas heavy roller bearings might be required on a llarge truck, and

such'construction being a mere matter of well known detail, is not attempted in the drawings. One or more rollers 30 support the parking wheel while bringing the bracket in and out of the vertical position.

The bracket is prevented from swinging beyond thevertical position shown by suitable hinged braces 10 pivoted at 114t0 the bracket flanges and at 12 to the engine casting or other substantial part of the vehicle, and the braces are so arrangedl in their pivotal construction that they are always free to 'fold up to permit the parking wheel and bracket to swing backward u on startin theengine and running the car orward, an after which the weight of the car being once more taken up'by the front wheels, the parking wheel and bracket may be pulled up to a orizontal position, as indicated in dotted lines ,in Figure 2 of the drawing.

A simple way of doing this is to extend a small cable 13 from the driverscompartment passing over idlers 14 and connected to a flange of the bracket at 15. The cable may conveniently have a rin 16 on the drive ers end ada ted to be hel in a hookel in the side o the vehicle to hold the bracket elevated for road clearance.

'When itis desired to park in a confined space, the vehicle is backed into the space 110 as far as the; dotted line A in Figure 1, then the clutch is thrown out and the parking wheel is dropped to the ground'to stop in contact therewith at an angle to the vehicle as indicated at B in Figure 2, and whereupon the engine is again applied to back the car a trifle more, and the parkiflg wheel gripping the road will straighten the bracket under the front axle lifting the front wheels from the ground with a toggle like action. The driver stops the engine or disengages the clutch when he sees the ring 16 reach thelimit of its travel against the instrument board 17, and the front of the vehicle is then free to swing in and out of parking position.

For automobiles which are too heavy to roll in or out by pulling or pushing the front end, I provide means of applying ower to revolve the parking wheel in either irection, and in the arrangement shown, this means takes the form of a. chain wheel 18 on the side of the parking wheel and around which passes a chain 19 again passing'over 'a smaller chain wheel 2O revolvably supportedon a bracket 21 clamped to the axle to one side of the bracket 3.

rlhe small wheel is secured to a gear 22 which is in mesh with a pinion 23 carried on a shaft 24 extending to the drivers compartment, and provided with a hand crank 25.l

The shaftd is supported in bearings 26 secured at suitable places to the vehicle, andthe parking wheel may be forcibly revolved in either direction by turning the hand crank. l

'lhe small chain wheel provided with a` deep Hangs at 27 and a palr of guards 28 extend from the bracket 21 close to the chain so that it will not fall on' when the bracket 3 is swung out of the vertical position, and the rear plate 8 of the bracket 3 is extended and turned Aover the chain wheel 18 at 29 to insure the chain always remaining in place on this wheel.

have indicated the use of a standard coil chain 19 to permit greater freedom of the bracket to fold up, and the action is such as to throw a little slack into the chain upon folding the bracket, and straighten the chain Leaaeev into working alignment when the bracket is vertical.

@f course, other chains and Well known 4 forms of gear drives may be used but this is simple and cheap and the total travel of the chainover years of use-is relatively so little that a common coil chain will give ample life and perfect satisfaction.

With attention to Figure 2, it will be seen that the parking wheel is shown as a flat rimmed roller and when in position B, the corner is impinged against the round so as to get the initial grip' thereagainst for lifting the front end of the vehicle when backed up, and it should be observed that the angle of the bracketwith respect to the vertical when in this position, has a great deal to do with the effectiveness of the invention, for if the angle is too great the wheel will not grip the road.

ln practise about 30 degrees has been found e'ective, and it has also been found that the wheel may be rubber tired and still give a good grip, but' the -corner of the iron wheel is more positive.

l claim:

1. A. combination with a vehicle having front wheels, of an auxiliary wheel, means for pivotally securing saidvwheel to said vehicle, for permitting said wheel to be swung from inoperative to operative position, said wheel having a tire presenting a flat surface to theground, means for .limiting the movement of said wheell into operative osition7 means for moving said wheel into inoperative position and means for imparting al rotative movement to said wheel' for causing said wheel to move the front of said vehicle laterally. A x H2. lin a device ofthe type described, a arking wheel carried by a' vehicle, means or moving said parkinoP wheel into operative position, the axis.' ofn said wheel extendin at an angle with respect to the front ax e of the vehicle, said wheel havinga tire with a dat exterior surface for presenting an .f

edge of the wheel to the ground during the movement of said wheel into operative position..

@roma urnas. 

